Skardu weather in December

In December, Skardu sees average daytime highs of -11°C and overnight lows near -19°C, with 60 mm of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -10°C in the first days to -13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Skardu's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Skardu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-11°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-19°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
60 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:05 AM – 4:43 PM
Cloud cover
56%
8th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Skardu is city in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -10°C in the first days to -13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Skardu reaches about -11°C in the afternoon and slips back to -19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -16°C and -6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-9-18
2-9-18
3-9-18
4-10-18
5-10-18
6-10-18
7-10-18
8-10-18
9-10-18
10-10-18
11-11-18
12-11-18
13-11-18
14-11-19
15-11-19
16-11-19
17-11-19
18-11-19
19-12-19
20-12-19
21-12-19
22-12-19
23-12-19
24-12-19
25-12-19
26-12-19
27-12-20
28-12-20
29-12-20
30-13-20
31-13-20

How December really feels in Skardu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Skardu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-12° / -19°7213.615.79.90.0
Feb-9° / -16°9514.616.410.70.0
Mar-5° / -13°11116.117.111.70.0
Apr-1° / -10°10814.415.112.90.0
May / -6°9013.812.913.80.0
Jun / -2°8711.14.514.31.9
Jul17° / 14817.90.314.14.5
Aug17° / 13619.30.213.34.5
Sep12° / 11117.54.912.22.7
Oct / -11°5911.410.311.10.2
Nov-7° / -17°539.21010.10.0
Dec-11° / -19°6011.812.89.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35248
45248
55149
65050
75050
85050
94951
104951
114951
124852
134852
144753
154654
164753
174753
184753
194852
204852
214852
224852
234951
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Skardu gets around 60 mm of rain and snow over 11.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13539
23740
33841
43942
53943
64043
74144
84144
94144
104144
114144
124144
134144
144043
154043
163942
173842
183841
193740
203640
213639
223639
233639
243639
253639
263639
273640
283640
293640
303741
313741

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:53 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:534:41
29.86:544:41
39.86:554:41
49.76:564:41
59.76:574:41
69.76:584:41
79.76:584:41
89.76:594:41
99.77:004:41
109.77:014:41
119.77:014:41
129.77:024:42
139.67:034:42
149.67:034:42
159.67:044:42
169.67:054:43
179.67:054:43
189.67:064:43
199.67:064:44
209.67:074:44
219.67:074:44
229.67:084:45
239.67:084:45
249.67:094:46
259.67:094:46
269.67:104:47
279.67:104:48
289.67:104:48
299.67:114:49
309.67:114:49
319.67:114:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 8.11 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 3.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Skardu?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Skardu.

What to pack for Skardu in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Skardu sees daytime highs around -11°C and nights near -19°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Skardu in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Skardu peaks around May 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateMay 20UV 15Jan 12UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar10Very high
Apr12Extreme
May15Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul14Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct7Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Skardu in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Skardu is worst in January — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateJan 1623 µg/m³Sep 1310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May12Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct12Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Skardu?

Skardu sits at 35.3°N, 75.6°E, 2,241 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Gilgit, 138 km away.

GilgitHunzaLehMuzaffarabadMurreeIslamabadSialkotĀsmār

Topography around Skardu

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Skardu.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Skardu has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m around an average of 2,263 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,143 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,010 m.

The land around Skardu is covered by bare terrain (51%) within 3 km, bare terrain (65%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (44%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
649 m
16 km
3,143 m
80 km
6,010 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Gilgit 138 km · Hunza 144 km · Leh 218 km · Muzaffarabad 223 km · Murree 257 km · Islamabad 295 km · Sialkot 328 km · Āsmār 390 km

Pakistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,596
2025
Happiness
4.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 493
Religion
Muslim 96%Hindu 2%Christian 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Skardu (35.2979°, 75.6337°, elevation 2,241 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).